CHAPTER 25
Sunhigh was approaching—Jaypaw could feel the warmth on his back. He padded into the camp with a wad of dock leaves clasped in his jaws1. The sour flavor had sucked all the moisture from his mouth. It disguised every other scent2, and he had to rely on the memory of his paws to find the path back to the medicine den3.
As he crossed the clearing, he could hear the paw steps of his Clanmates hurrying around him. The whole Clan4 had been busy since before dawn preparing for the daylight Gathering5. They’re only going to spend the day hunting and fighting, Jaypaw thought irritably6. Why are they acting7 like it’s something special? They get to do that anyway.
“Squirrelflight!” Firestar called down from Highledge.
“Yes?” She sounded out of breath.
“Did you find a good route for the squirrel hunt?”
“I sent Brambleclaw out with a patrol,” she replied. “He’s checking it now. The ShadowClan border might be best. The squirrels are still busy there, digging up their nut stores.”
“What about the tree-climbing contest?” Firestar prompted.
“Spiderleg told me that the Sky Oak is in full bud, but he doesn’t think it’ll be damaged by having so many apprentices10 climbing it at once.”
“Good,” Firestar meowed. “Are there hunting patrols out? We don’t want our visitors to think we are prey12-poor.”
“Two. Birchfall and Thornclaw are leading them.”
“Jaypaw!” Firestar scrambled13 down from Highledge and caught up to him. “Leafpool will need your help today in case of any accidents. You won’t be able to join in any of the contests, I’m afraid.”
The whole Clan had been tiptoeing around him like mice since the daylight Gathering had been announced, too scared to say out loud what he knew they’d all been thinking—that he would be useless in any apprentice11 contest. He had noticed right away how they never mentioned his name as they speculated about which apprentices would win. Jaypaw didn’t reply to Firestar and scraped angrily through the bramble entrance to the medicine den.
“Oh, good!” Leafpool was waiting for him. “You found lots. Now we’ll be ready for any scratches.”
Jaypaw dropped the dock leaves on the ground. He flicked15 his tongue, trying to wet it again. “I don’t see why we have to be responsible for all the other Clans16,” he complained. “If their apprentices want to show off on our territory, their own medicine cats should look after them.”
“All the medicine cats will be working together to make sure every cat is cared for properly,” Leafpool reminded him.
“I bet Willowpaw and Kestrelpaw haven’t spent the morning looking for herbs,” Jaypaw muttered. “Even theywill have been practicing their hunting skills for the contests.”
He sensed frustration17 in Leafpool’s quick movements as she stored the dock with the other herbs, but her mew was calm. “I know how much you want to take part, Jaypaw, but I need you to help me.”
The fury that had been simmering in Jaypaw’s belly18 suddenly bubbled over. “Don’t lie!” he fumed19. “I’m not allowed to take part because there’s no way I can compete against real apprentices! Firestar doesn’t want me embarrassing the Clan.”
“You know that isn’t true!” Leafpool told him, shocked.
“Then why doesn’t he let me try one of the contests?”
“Maybe if you’d had more battle training or hunting experience, he would!” Leafpool’s mew was brittle20 as she tried to keep her temper. “But you started your medicine training late, and the outbreak of greencough has stopped us from working on your other skills.”
Jaypaw didn’t reply. Hollypaw had been a medicine cat apprentice for only the blink of an eye, and she’dhad battle training from Leafpool. He was beginning to wonder if his mentor21 had decided22 it was a waste of time to teach him any warrior23 skills at all.
Leafpool changed the subject. “Squirrelflight must be getting tired. She’s been busy all morning. Will you take her some herbs?”
Jaypaw padded sulkily to the herb store and mixed the leaves Squirrelflight would need, then folded them in a wrap, which he picked up delicately between his teeth. He nosed his way out of the den and listened for his mother’s voice. He found her beneath Highledge talking to Brambleclaw.
Jaypaw dropped the herbs at Squirrelflight’s paws. “Leafpool wants you to eat these.”
“That’s kind of her.” Squirrelflight sniffed24 at the herbs. “Did you mix these yourself? They smell sweeter than usual.”
Squirrelflight thanked him with a brisk lick between his ears. “That was thoughtful.”
“It’s nothing,” he muttered. He turned away before she could do anything else embarrassing, though he couldn’t ignore the small glimmer26 of happiness that flickered27 in his chest.
Suddenly paw steps drummed through the entrance and skidded28 to a halt. It was Lionpaw and Hollypaw; their excitement howled into the camp like a rush of wind, rippling29 Jaypaw’s fur.
“They’re here!” Lionpaw panted.
Foxkit’s and Icekit’s tiny paws pattered from the nursery.
“Are they really here?” Foxkit demanded.
“Not yet,” Lionpaw told him. “But it looks like just about the whole of WindClan has come.”
“I wish we were going!” Foxkit mewed.
“We’ll have fun here,” Ferncloud called from the nursery entrance.
“Life isn’t fair,” Jaypaw growled35, and padded mutinously37 back to the medicine den. That’s why I’m going to be stuck in camp like a kit31!
Birchfall and Thornclaw pounded through the thorn tunnel, their patrols crowding after them. Jaypaw smelled the delicious flavors of fresh-kill. Every cat must have caught a piece of prey.
“Well done!” Firestar told them. “No cat will go hungry today.”
A yowl rang through the forest above the hollow.
“That’s Leopardstar!” Lionpaw mewed. “RiverClan has arrived!”
“It must be time to go,” Hollypaw put in. “The Gathering starts at sunhigh.”
Hollypaw was taking part in one of the first contests, a match to see which apprentice had the best fighting skills. At the same time, Lionpaw would be set against a WindClan apprentice in a hunting contest. Jealousy38 seared Jaypaw’s fur.
Rocks clattered39 from Highledge as Firestar bounded down into the clearing, but Jaypaw nosed his way into the medicine den, away from the eager mews of the warriors40 and apprentices as they paced impatiently around the entrance. He tried to block his ears as Firestar called “Good luck!” to the Clan. But he still heard the drumming of paws as ThunderClan raced away through the thorn tunnel.
“Jaypaw.” Leafpool’s mew sounded from the herb store. “Will you help me make up some poultices?”
Jaypaw forced away his black thoughts and padded to Leafpool’s side to begin chewing up some of the dock he had brought back earlier. As they worked, Icekit and Foxkit charged noisily around the clearing.
“Don’t forget,” Ferncloud was calling, “you each have to bring me a beetle42, some moss43, and a fly.”
“I’m going to win!” Icekit mewed.
“No, you won’t,” Foxkit replied. “I’ll find them first and I’ll be champion!”
Their mews echoed around the deserted44 camp, and Jaypaw was aware of the emptiness like hunger in the pit of his belly.
Am I always going to be left behind?
“That’s enough for now.” Leafpool’s mew took him by surprise. “There’s enough there for scratches on every cat in all four Clans.”
Jaypaw spat46 out the last mouthful of dock and sat back on his haunches, licking his paws to clear the taste from his tongue.
“I should be at the Gathering, in case there are injuries,” the medicine cat announced. “Besides, I want to go and watch Hollypaw fight. Why don’t you come with me?”
Jaypaw shook his head. There was no way he was going if he wasn’t allowed to take part.
“Very well.” Leafpool didn’t try to persuade him. Instead she padded quietly out of the den.
Left alone, Jaypaw suddenly felt lost. Far in the distance he could hear the excited cries of warriors and their apprentices drifting through the trees. He wanted to wail34 to StarClan that it wasn’t fair. But he would not behave like a kit, however much he was treated like one. Instead, he began to tidy up the herbs, pushing all the leaves into neat piles and lining47 up the poultices, ready for any cats who might return injured.
Suddenly a strange sensation began to prick48 his tail. It crawled along his spine49, setting his pelt50 tingling51. Images flooded his mind, swelling52 behind his eyes.
He was buried, unable to breathe, choking on dry earth soaked in the stench of fox and badger53. His mind swirled54 in terror. Where was the fox? The badger? He expected to feel their teeth rip his flesh at any moment. He stared wildly around, but all he could see was crumbling55 brown soil. Above him light flickered, then dimmed as more soil tumbled down on him, stinging his eyes, filling his ears and nostrils56. He was drowning—not in water this time, but earth
“Help!” Dirt filled his mouth as he tried to scream.
He scrabbled desperately57, trying to fight his way out. Was StarClan so disappointed that they had ordered the earth to swallow him up? He kicked out with his hind45 legs, trying to fight his way up. His lungs were screaming for air. He could see his paws churning in front of his muzzle59. But they were not his own mottled paws; they were pale and wide, their fur thick and bunched at the claws.
He was seeing through Lionpaw’s eyes!
Jaypaw drove the images out of his head and knew he was back in the medicine den, surrounded by the scent of leaves and with the hollow empty and silent outside.
Where was Lionpaw right now?
The hunting contest!
Like lightning, Jaypaw shot out of the medicine den and pelted61 into the forest, every sense alive as he wove through the undergrowth like a snake. He had to get to Lionpaw before thisthing—whatever it was—happened.
Hollypaw watched as Lionpaw and Breezepaw scampered62 up the slope and disappeared among the trees to hunt. The fur along Lionpaw’s spine was spiked63 with excitement.
Good luck!
“Hollypaw, are you ready?” Onestar called.
Hollypaw spun64 around. Heatherpaw was already waiting on the patch of smooth grass, circled by warriors and apprentices, her shoulders squared, ready for the match.
“Come on, Hollypaw,” Brambleclaw urged. He stood beside Brackenfur, his eyes shining.
Hollypaw could hear the excited murmuring of the Clan cats. She felt as though fish were wriggling65 in her belly, but she wasn’t going to show any cat she was nervous. She crouched66 opposite Heatherpaw, narrowing her eyes.
“Keep your claws sheathed67,” Onestar ordered. He swept his tail over the grass, and Hollypaw tensed. The WindClan apprentice was small, but Hollypaw knew that Heatherpaw had two moons’ more experience than she did, and that her sleek68 pelt hid hard muscle.
“Begin!” Onestar called.
Heatherpaw leaped. She crashed into Hollypaw, bowling69 her over. Hollypaw felt teeth grip her scruff, not hard enough to break the skin, but firm enough to make her freeze with alarm. She couldn’t be beaten this easily! Heatherpaw had caught her like a rabbit.
Thinking quickly, Hollypaw tucked her head and kicked out with her hind legs. She somersaulted forward, taking Heatherpaw with her and sending the WindClan apprentice sprawling70 onto her back. Free of her grip, Hollypaw leaped up, spun around, and flew at Heatherpaw. But her rival had rolled out of the way. Seething71, Hollypaw landed on bare grass.
She glanced sideways. Heatherpaw was darting72 toward her. Energy flashed in her paws, and she leaped high into the air. As Heatherpaw skidded wildly beneath her, Hollypaw crashed down onto the confused WindClan cat’s back. Wrapping her paws around her opponent, she rolled Heatherpaw over and began pummeling her with her hind paws.
Heatherpaw, slippery as a snake, wriggled73 free of her grasp. She reared onto her hind legs and faced Hollypaw with flailing74 forepaws. Hollypaw rose to meet her, and the two apprentices battled like dancing hares.
“Finish her, Heatherpaw!” Crowfeather called.
“Knock her off her paws!” Brackenfur yowled.
What do you think I’m trying to do?
Hollypaw’s muzzle was beginning to sting. Heatherpaw’s blows were strong and well aimed, and Hollypaw didn’t want this to go on for much longer. Taking a deep breath, she ducked, leaving Heatherpaw flapping her paws at thin air. She scooted between Heatherpaw’s hind legs, unbalancing the WindClan apprentice. Then she twisted and sank her teeth—careful not to draw blood—into Heatherpaw’s scruff, pressing her chin into the ground. Heatherpaw let out an angry wail, struggling furiously, but Hollypaw had dug her claws into the earth on either side of the WindClan apprentice. Heatherpaw could not get free.
“It’s all over!” Onestar meowed. “Hollypaw is the winner!”
The ThunderClan cats cheered, and Hollypaw let go.
Heatherpaw jumped up. “Well done,” she panted. “That was a great move at the end!”
“Thanks,” mewed Hollypaw. “You fought well, too.”
“Good work, Hollypaw!” Brambleclaw rushed over and swept his tail over his daughter’s flank.
Heatherpaw narrowed her eyes at Ivypaw, a ShadowClan apprentice.
Hollypaw spun around. “Want to bet on that?”
Suddenly Hollypaw saw a distinctive77 gray shape flash across the top of the slope. “Jaypaw! You just missed me winning the contest!” But her brother didn’t seem to hear. He pelted away into the trees, heading for ShadowClan territory. What in the name of StarClan was he up to now?
Jaypaw dashed along the slope toward the ShadowClan border, remembering the stench of fox and badger from his vision. There was an old badger set near the border, dug out of a fox den. His mother had described it to him. She had helped chase a badger from it long ago, soon after the four Clans came to the lake.
He dug his claws harder into the grass and pushed himself on. Fresh scents78 rolled in from the lake, but he focused on the smell of badger, searching it out as he raced into the woods. His instincts and senses were not enough to guide him quickly through this strange territory. He skidded to a halt, sniffing79 desperately, and began to feel his way with his whiskers.StarClan, let me see now! Please! I have to find Lionpaw!
Suddenly he tasted the rank stench of badger. It was old and laced with the smell of fox. He gazed around blindly, wondering where Lionpaw was. Then he heard paw steps speeding over the leaf-strewn forest floor ahead.
He could smell Lionpaw.
Then Breezepaw.
Then squirrel.
Their excitement singed80 his pelt. With a jolt81 of terror, Jaypaw realized that the two apprentices were chasing the squirrel straight toward the badger stench. The place where the ground was not safe, where the earth would swallow them up . . .
“No!” His wail rang through the trees. He pelted forward, breathless with fear. Then shock pierced him and he skidded to a halt.
There was no sound of paw steps. Only the squirrel’s claws skittering away up a tree. The forest was deadly silent.
“Lionpaw!” Jaypaw shot forward. He stumbled as the earth became rock beneath his paws. The sun was suddenly hot on his back. A clearing, ringed with trees. Boulders82 reared up before him.
“Help!”
“StarClan, save me!”
Feeling his way frantically84, Jaypaw clambered up the rocks. Where had they fallen in? Was he near? The ground was still rock beneath his paws. It flattened85, then sloped smoothly86 away in front of him. He began to slide forward. Blood roared in his ears. What if I fall in too?The vision played in his mind again—earth choking his ears, his eyes, his lungs screaming for air. He unsheathed his claws. They scraped over the stone as he half crept, half slithered downward.
Suddenly his front paws touched sand and sank. Jaypaw sprang backward, clinging to the rock with his hind paws. Then the sand moved; he felt it quivering beneath his forepaws as though something squirmed beneath it.
They’re down there!
Gripping with his hind claws, he squatted87 down and began to dig, scooping88 out earth as fast as he could.
“Help!” he wailed, hoping some cat would hear. “Over here!”
His hind claws lost their grip and he slid forward, his forepaws sinking into the sand. “StarClan help me!”
He reared backward, his muscles screaming with the effort. He couldn’t give up now. He slithered forward again and kept digging, his hind paws trembling with the effort of keeping him out of the sinking ground. Soil pressed up against his chest and chin. Terror gripped his whole body. The vision was so strong in his mind he could feel soil in his throat and see nothing but earth.
Suddenly his paws brushed against fur. With a rush of hope, he hooked his claws into it and heaved with all his strength. The fur wriggled and fought in his grip, struggling to push upward until Jaypaw could scrabble far enough back to drag the body out of the soil.
Spluttering and gasping90, Lionpaw slithered away from the patch of soft earth and collapsed91 on the rock. Jaypaw plunged92 his paws back into the soil. Breezepaw was still down there.
“What’s going on?” Crowfeather’s shocked cry sounded behind him.
Without stopping Jaypaw screeched93 at the WindClan warrior, “The den collapsed. Lionpaw and Breezepaw fell in!”
Crowfeather was at his side in an instant, sending sandy soil flying in his desperation to save his son.
Claws scrabbled up the boulders behind them. “Crowfeather?” Heatherpaw’s mew sounded breathless.
“Breezepaw’s still buried!” Crowfeather panted.
“Breezepaw?” Nightcloud’s horrified94 gasp89 sounded close by. The WindClan she-cat must have leaped up the boulders with Heatherpaw. She pressed in beside Jaypaw and began digging. “Oh, my precious kit!”
Then Jaypaw felt another movement in the earth beneath his claws. “I can feel him!”
Crowfeather burrowed95 his paws toward Jaypaw’s and lunged down. A growl36 of effort rose in his throat as he heaved his son out from the suffocating96 earth. Jaypaw felt soil spray his face and sting his eyes as Breezepaw’s body was dragged free. He listened closely for the apprentice’s breathing. It had stopped.
“I’m here!” Leafpool’s voice came as a rush of warm air to Jaypaw’s ears.
“Can you save them?” he begged. “I came here as fast as I could, but—”
“Lionpaw is breathing,” Leafpool told him. “I’ve cleared the soil from his throat.”
Jaypaw felt Breezepaw stir, and for a moment he thought the WindClan apprentice had recovered. Then he realized that Leafpool was wrenching98 open his jaws.
“Your paws are smallest,” she told Jaypaw. “Reach into his mouth and clear as much dirt as you can.”
Jaypaw sheathed his claws. Then, forcing himself to stop trembling, he reached delicately into Breezepaw’s mouth. He could hear Crowfeather’s heart pounding. Nightcloud was quivering in terror behind him. Leafpool’s concentration was the only calmness he felt around him, and he clung to it as he scooped99 the earth from the back of Breezepaw’s throat.
“Will he be all right?” Nightcloud whispered.
“Yes, he will,” Leafpool promised.
“Thank you, Leafpool,” Crowfeather murmured.
“I would give my last drop of blood to save your kit,” Leafpool meowed softly to Crowfeather. “You know that.”
“Ourkit was lucky that Jaypaw was here.” Nightcloud’s comment was edged with sharpness.
Jaypaw spun around and crouched beside his brother. “That was close, even for you,” he mewed.
Leafpool’s whiskers brushed Jaypaw’s cheek. “They were lucky you were here.”
“I nearly wasn’t fast enough,” he replied.
“But you made it to them in time,” she pointed58 out. “You were brave to try to get them out on your own.” She flicked his shoulder with her tail. “Come on, let’s get them back to the hollow.”
Jaypaw held out his paw so that Lionpaw could lick the poppy seeds from his pad. Lionpaw lapped them up gratefully. He was still trembling, even though he was safely in Jaypaw’s nest, curled beside Breezepaw.
Lionpaw had managed to stagger back to the ThunderClan camp on his own paws. Hollypaw and Squirrelflight had pressed against either side of him to take some of his weight, while Brambleclaw had rushed to fetch Firestar.
Nightcloud had carried Breezepaw like a kit. His hind legs had dragged over the forest floor, but he was too exhausted105 by shock to complain. Crowfeather had padded beside his mate the whole way, offering to help, but Nightcloud kept hold of her kit as though she might lose him again at any moment. Now she lay curled around him, warming his quivering body, her breath falling and rising in time with his.
“Try to persuade them to sleep,” Leafpool told Jaypaw. “I’ll go and tell the others they’re all right.” Firestar, Crowfeather, Heatherpaw, Brambleclaw, and Squirrelflight were waiting anxiously outside. The brambles swished as the medicine cat padded out of the den.
“I’ll make sure they sleep,” Nightcloud meowed. Jaypaw heard the swish of her tail as she swept it rhythmically106 over the earth-powdered pelts107 of the two apprentices.
Her comment made his ears hot with embarrassment109. Why did she have to treat him like a hero? Crowfeather had acted the same way as they’d padded home through the forest.
“You behaved like a warrior,” the WindClan cat had told him
But Jaypaw did not feel like a warrior. If he had run faster he would have been able to warn Lionpaw. If only his blindness had not slowed him down.
“Lionpaw and Breezepaw wouldn’t have been hurt if I’d gotten there sooner,” he mewed to Hollypaw.
“But how did you find them at all?” He felt her stare burning his pelt. “They were chasing a squirrel—it could have run anywhere.”
Jaypaw hesitated. “I had a vision,” he confessed. “I saw what was going to happen.” Panic swept through him as he remembered the sensation of choking, the taste of soil in his mouth, and the sight of paws churning desperately in front of his muzzle. “When I saw the color of the paws, I realized they weren’t mine, but Lionpaw’s.”
“Saw?” Hollypaw’s gasp made Jaypaw jump. “You sawhis paws?”
“Shhh!” Suddenly he wished he hadn’t told her anything. If StarClan thought he was trying to show off, they might take his one chance at sight away. Jaypaw tried to make his sister understand. “Sometimes I can see in dreams and visions,” he whispered. “It’s hard to explain how. It’s . . .” He paused, groping for words. “It’s just different.”
He felt her mind teeming110 with questions. Then it cleared and a purr rumbled111 in her throat. “StarClan must have given you this gift for a reason. I knew you’d make a great medicine cat.” She brushed her cheek along his, then padded out through the brambles.
Jaypaw sighed. He was glad Hollypaw hadn’t asked any difficult questions, but was this how it was going to be from now on? A separate life, beyond the understanding of his Clanmates? With their every heartbeat depending on him?
“Jaypaw!” Brambleclaw called through the brambles. “Come down to the lake for the end of the Gathering.”
“Firestar’s going to be announcing the winners!” Heatherpaw added excitedly.
Jaypaw curled his lip. The last thing he wanted to do was to watch the other apprentices celebrate their warrior skills. He pricked113 his ears toward Lionpaw and Breezepaw. Nightcloud had done as she promised, and both apprentices were sleeping deeply. He pushed his way out of the den. “Who’s going to watch Lionpaw and Breezepaw?” he asked, looking for an excuse to stay in the camp.
“I will,” Leafpool told him.
“Come on, Jaypaw,” Hollypaw begged. “It’ll be fun.”
“You should meet some of the apprentices from the other Clans,” Firestar meowed. “You haven’t had the chance yet.”
Reluctantly, Jaypaw followed his Clanmates as they trekked114 down to the slopes beside the lake. Crowfeather and Heatherpaw went to join WindClan, and Firestar headed off to speak with the other leaders by the lakeshore. Brambleclaw sat down to wait on the hillside, and Jaypaw sat beside him with Squirrelflight and Hollypaw.
“I’ve not seen the Clans so relaxed since the Great Journey,” Brambleclaw observed.
Squirrelflight’s happiness warmed the air around her. “Even ShadowClan seems content.”
“But Blackstar is staring at everyone, proud as a blackbird,as if his apprentices won every contest,” Hollypaw chipped in.
“Clans of trees, hills, and streams!”
Jaypaw heard his leader’s call. The cats fell silent, and Jaypaw sensed their gazes turn toward the ThunderClan leader like the sun shifting in the sky.
“All our apprentices did well today,” Firestar declared. “They hunted and fought like true warriors!”
Jubilant mews rose from all the Clans.
“I have talked with Leopardstar, Blackstar, and Onestar, and we have decided that the contest is a draw,” Firestar went on. “Every Clan showed itself to be worthy115 of StarClan’s approval.”
“That’s not fair!” Owlpaw snarled116, the ShadowClan apprentices bunched around him muttering in agreement. “I was the best hunter! Lionpaw and Breezepaw didn’t even come back!”
“Hush!” A ShadowClan she-cat silenced him. “They almost died!”
Blackstar told Owlpaw, “It’s all right; we all know who really won, even if we have to share the victory. You shall have first pick of the prey when we get home.”
Leopardstar lifted her voice. “Out of RiverClan’s apprentices, Pouncepaw will eat the best fish tonight as a reward for her excellent hunting skills.”
“Heatherpaw shall have the fattest rabbit,” Onestar called. “She climbed to the top of the Sky Oak!”
Jaypaw’s muzzle sank to his chest. He didn’t want to hear how well every other apprentice had done.
“And from ThunderClan,” Firestar announced, “Hollypaw may choose first prey from the pile. She fought excellently for such a new apprentice.”
Jaypaw felt pride surge in his sister’s pelt, and hated the jealousy that throbbed117 in his paws. “Well done,” he mumbled. “I’d better get back and see if Leafpool needs help.”
“Please stay,” Hollypaw mewed.
Jaypaw shook his head and turned away. He began to climb the slope toward the tree line. Then Onestar’s voice sounded from below.
“There is one apprentice who deserves a special mention above all the others today.”
Jaypaw kept on walking.
“Jaypaw.”
Jaypaw stopped.
“This young ThunderClan apprentice has earned the gratitude118 of every cat for his courage and quick thinking today.”
Jaypaw felt the curious gaze of all the Clans ruffle119 his pelt. He turned self-consciously to face them.
Firestar joined in. “He saved two apprentices. They nearly suffocated120 when an old badger set collapsed beneath them. Jaypaw found them in time and dug them out.”
Shocked mews turned into cheers. They were cheering for him! Hollypaw’s and Squirrelflight’s pelts suddenly brushed against his flanks.
Hollypaw pressed her nose against his cheek. “You’re a hero.”
Could blind cats be heroes? Jaypaw wondered. Perhaps . . .
“This has been a good Gathering,” Firestar meowed as the cheering died down. “It has reminded me of the Great Journey, and I think it marks a successful start to the second newleaf in our new home. A lot has changed, but we are still true warriors!”
True warriors!Like plunging121 into freezing water, Jaypaw remembered how lost he had felt in the fight against ShadowClan—how desperately he had longed to see, how he knew he would never be able to defend himself properly, let alone his Clanmates. StarClan had seen this too, which was why they’d decided he should be a medicine cat.
But Jaypaw didn’t want consoling. He wanted things to be different. He turned back toward the forest and began to pad home to the camp. It didn’t matter if all the Clan leaders called him a hero. He would never be a true warrior.
Nightcloud was sleeping beside Breezepaw and Lionpaw when Jaypaw returned. Leafpool was dozing122 in her nest.
“Is the Gathering over?” she mewed sleepily as Jaypaw padded into the den.
“Nearly,” Jaypaw replied. “The others will be back soon, I expect.” He listened to the apprentices’ breathing, relieved to find it deep and slow. The weight of the day suddenly dragged at his paws. He longed to curl up in his own familiar nest, but Lionpaw and Breezepaw needed it more than he did.
Instead, he padded out of the den and clawed up a few clumps123 of grass. Pressing them among the old brambles piled beside the medicine den, he shaped himself a makeshift nest. He spiraled down into it, his claws aching from the digging. There was still dirt trapped between them, but he was too tired to clean them. Instead, he rested his nose on them and closed his eyes.
“Jaypaw.” Leafpool’s mew made him jump. The medicine cat was leaning over him.
Leafpool pressed him gently back with a paw. “Don’t get up,” she mewed. Something warm and soft touched his paws, and he smelled fresh mouse. “I thought you’d be hungry.”
“Thank you,” Jaypaw murmured.
“You did well today.” As she turned and padded away, a strange sensation prickled through Jaypaw’s pelt. There had been something wrong with the way Leafpool spoke124 to him just then. It was as if she were waryof him.
No. He must have imagined it.
He realized how hungry he was. His Clanmates were not yet back from the Gathering, and Jaypaw welcomed the peace in the hollow. With no other thoughts to crowd his mind, he ate his mouse and settled back down to sleep.
Jaypaw blinked open his eyes. He had not intended to dream. But here he was, in an unfamiliar126 place, standing112 on a dry, sandy bank in a narrow, high-sided gully. Above him, the night sky stretched like a black river, speckled with stars. There were no bushes to shelter him, no soft ferns thick with the smell of prey, just a few prickly shrubs127 and smooth boulders casting round shadows like puddles128 on the ground. A familiar scent pricked his nose.
Firestar.
Jaypaw gazed around, looking for the ThunderClan leader. But Firestar was nowhere to be seen.
Suddenly a low mew echoed from the roots of a tree on the far side of the gully.
Pelt pricking with curiosity, Jaypaw padded toward the sound and saw, among the great black arching roots, the shadow of an opening. Firestar’s moonlit form was silhouetted129 against the dark entrance. Jaypaw ducked down behind a thick root.
“I will not fail!” Firestar was meowing.
What was he doing here? Who was he talking to? Jaypaw peered over the root. He could just make out the shape of an aged9 tomcat sitting in the shadows beneath the tree.
“Sometimes the destiny of one cat is not the destiny of the whole Clan,” the old cat rasped.
Firestar’s mind clouded with confusion; Jaypaw felt it like mist. The ThunderClan leader’s breathing quickened as the tom spoke again, his voice suddenly smooth.
Blood pounded in Jaypaw’s ears. An image scorched130 his mind: he saw himself beside Lionpaw and Hollypaw, eyes gleaming and pelts rippling with strength. With a dreadful, ominous131 certainty, he knew what the old cat was trying to tell Firestar.
He, Hollypaw, and Lionpaw were the three cats in the prophecy
Coldness reached through his pelt, setting his fur on end as it drove into his flesh. And at the same time, excitement surged through his paws. Thiswas his destiny—and Firestar had known all along, but had chosen not to reveal it. Why? Because he was afraid of having three such powerful cats in his Clan?
Jaypaw stifled132 the purr that rose inside him, knowing he must not be seen by the other cats. Suddenly it didn’t matter that he was blind, or that he couldn’t take part in the contest. None of that mattered in the face of this prophecy, that promised a greater destiny for him and his littermates than anything a cat had dreamed of before. Leafpool was right to be wary125 of him. Allhis Clanmates should be. And not just of him, but of Lionpaw and Hollypaw as well.
One day we will be so powerful that we shall command even StarClan!
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1
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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2
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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3
den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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4
clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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5
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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irritably
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| ad.易生气地 | |
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7
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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8
kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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9
aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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apprentices
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| 学徒，徒弟( apprentice的名词复数 ) | |
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apprentice
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| n.学徒，徒弟 | |
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12
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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13
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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14
scramble
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| v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料 | |
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15
flicked
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| （尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的过去式和过去分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等） | |
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clans
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| 宗族( clan的名词复数 )； 氏族； 庞大的家族； 宗派 | |
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frustration
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| n.挫折，失败，失效，落空 | |
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18
belly
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| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
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19
fumed
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| 愤怒( fume的过去式和过去分词 )； 大怒； 发怒； 冒烟 | |
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20
brittle
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| adj.易碎的；脆弱的；冷淡的；(声音)尖利的 | |
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21
mentor
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| n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导 | |
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22
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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24
sniffed
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| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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25
mumbled
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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26
glimmer
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| v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光 | |
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27
flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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28
skidded
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| v.（通常指车辆） 侧滑( skid的过去式和过去分词 )；打滑；滑行；（住在）贫民区 | |
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29
rippling
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| 起涟漪的，潺潺流水般声音的 | |
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30
trotted
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| 小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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31
kit
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| n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物 | |
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32
tinged
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| v.（使）发丁丁声( ting的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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33
wailed
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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34
wail
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| vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸 | |
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35
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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36
growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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37
mutinously
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| adv.反抗地，叛变地 | |
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38
jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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39
clattered
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| 发出咔哒声（clatter的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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40
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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41
eerie
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| adj.怪诞的；奇异的；可怕的；胆怯的 | |
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42
beetle
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| n.甲虫，近视眼的人 | |
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43
moss
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| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
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44
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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45
hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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46
spat
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| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
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47
lining
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| n.衬里，衬料 | |
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48
prick
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| v.刺伤，刺痛，刺孔；n.刺伤，刺痛 | |
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49
spine
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| n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊 | |
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50
pelt
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| v.投掷，剥皮，抨击，开火 | |
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51
tingling
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| v.有刺痛感( tingle的现在分词 ) | |
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52
swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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53
badger
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| v.一再烦扰，一再要求，纠缠 | |
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54
swirled
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| v.旋转，打旋( swirl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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55
crumbling
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| adj.摇摇欲坠的 | |
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56
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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57
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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58
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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59
muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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60
scouring
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| 擦[洗]净，冲刷，洗涤 | |
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61
pelted
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| （连续地）投掷( pelt的过去式和过去分词 )； 连续抨击； 攻击； 剥去…的皮 | |
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62
scampered
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| v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑，惊惶奔跑( scamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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63
spiked
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| adj.有穗的；成锥形的；有尖顶的 | |
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64
spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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65
wriggling
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| v.扭动，蠕动，蜿蜒行进( wriggle的现在分词 )；（使身体某一部位）扭动；耍滑不做，逃避（应做的事等）；蠕蠕 | |
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66
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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67
sheathed
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| adj.雕塑像下半身包在鞘中的；覆盖的；铠装的；装鞘了的v.将（刀、剑等）插入鞘( sheathe的过去式和过去分词 )；包，覆盖 | |
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68
sleek
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| adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢 | |
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69
bowling
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| n.保龄球运动 | |
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70
sprawling
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| adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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71
seething
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| 沸腾的，火热的 | |
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72
darting
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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73
wriggled
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| v.扭动，蠕动，蜿蜒行进( wriggle的过去式和过去分词 )；（使身体某一部位）扭动；耍滑不做，逃避（应做的事等） | |
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74
flailing
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| v.鞭打( flail的现在分词 )；用连枷脱粒；（臂或腿）无法控制地乱动；扫雷坦克 | |
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75
hissed
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| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
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76
cuff
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| n.袖口；手铐；护腕；vt.用手铐铐；上袖口 | |
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77
distinctive
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| adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的 | |
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78
scents
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| n.香水( scent的名词复数 )；气味；（动物的）臭迹；（尤指狗的）嗅觉 | |
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79
sniffing
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| n.探查法v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的现在分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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80
singed
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| v.浅表烧焦( singe的过去式和过去分词 )；（毛发）燎，烧焦尖端[边儿] | |
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81
jolt
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| v.（使）摇动，（使）震动，（使）颠簸 | |
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82
boulders
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| n.卵石( boulder的名词复数 )；巨砾；（受水或天气侵蚀而成的）巨石；漂砾 | |
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83
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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84
frantically
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| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
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85
flattened
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| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
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86
smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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87
squatted
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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88
scooping
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| n.捞球v.抢先报道( scoop的现在分词 )；（敏捷地）抱起；抢先获得；用铲[勺]等挖（洞等） | |
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89
gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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90
gasping
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| adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词 | |
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91
collapsed
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| adj.倒塌的 | |
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92
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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93
screeched
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| v.发出尖叫声( screech的过去式和过去分词 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫 | |
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94
horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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95
burrowed
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| v.挖掘（洞穴），挖洞( burrow的过去式和过去分词 )；翻寻 | |
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96
suffocating
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| a.使人窒息的 | |
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97
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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98
wrenching
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| n.修截苗根，苗木铲根（铲根时苗木不起土或部分起土）v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的现在分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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99
scooped
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| v.抢先报道( scoop的过去式和过去分词 )；（敏捷地）抱起；抢先获得；用铲[勺]等挖（洞等） | |
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100
writhed
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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101
flinched
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| v.（因危险和痛苦）退缩，畏惧( flinch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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102
pricking
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| 刺，刺痕，刺痛感 | |
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103
croaked
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| v.呱呱地叫( croak的过去式和过去分词 )；用粗的声音说 | |
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104
labored
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| adj.吃力的，谨慎的v.努力争取(for)( labor的过去式和过去分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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105
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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106
rhythmically
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| adv.有节奏地 | |
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107
pelts
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| n. 皮毛，投掷, 疾行 vt. 剥去皮毛，（连续）投掷 vi. 猛击，大步走 | |
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108
tickled
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| （使）发痒( tickle的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）愉快，逗乐 | |
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109
embarrassment
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| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
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110
teeming
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| adj.丰富的v.充满( teem的现在分词 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注 | |
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111
rumbled
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| 发出隆隆声，发出辘辘声( rumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 轰鸣着缓慢行进； 发现…的真相； 看穿（阴谋） | |
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112
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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113
pricked
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| 刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛 | |
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114
trekked
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| v.艰苦跋涉，徒步旅行( trek的过去式和过去分词 )；（尤指在山中）远足，徒步旅行，游山玩水 | |
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115
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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116
snarled
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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117
throbbed
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| 抽痛( throb的过去式和过去分词 )； （心脏、脉搏等）跳动 | |
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118
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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119
ruffle
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| v.弄皱，弄乱；激怒，扰乱；n.褶裥饰边 | |
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120
suffocated
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| （使某人）窒息而死( suffocate的过去式和过去分词 )； （将某人）闷死； 让人感觉闷热； 憋气 | |
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121
plunging
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| adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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122
dozing
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| v.打瞌睡,假寐 n.瞌睡 | |
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123
clumps
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| n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声 | |
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124
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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125
wary
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| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
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126
unfamiliar
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| adj.陌生的，不熟悉的 | |
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127
shrubs
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| 灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) | |
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128
puddles
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| n.水坑， （尤指道路上的）雨水坑( puddle的名词复数 ) | |
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129
silhouetted
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| 显出轮廓的，显示影像的 | |
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130
scorched
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| 烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦 | |
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131
ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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132
stifled
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| （使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵 | |
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